Tanzanian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are set to gain access to additional trade and expansion financing after the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) extended a US$10 million facility to Azania Bank Plc.
The facility is aimed at easing one of the major constraints facing SMEs in Tanzania—limited access to affordable financing—while enabling businesses involved in export-oriented activities to expand production and participate more actively in regional and international trade.
Provided under Afreximbank’s Export SME Development Programme (ESDP), the funding will be on-lent by Azania Bank to eligible SMEs requiring working capital and medium-term financing.
The financing will support business expansion, acquisition of productive assets and pre- and post-export activities, potentially improving the capacity of Tanzanian enterprises to supply regional and international markets.
Azania Bank will target businesses operating across sectors including agriculture, manufacturing, trade, technology, logistics and value-added exports. The focus reflects Tanzania’s broader efforts to increase domestic production, value addition and export diversification.
For SMEs, access to finance remains a significant barrier to expansion across Africa, particularly for businesses seeking to move from serving domestic markets into regional and international supply chains.
Afreximbank said the Tanzania facility is intended not only to provide capital but also to improve the ability of SMEs to compete in cross-border markets. Participating businesses will have access to business development support covering export readiness, financial management, market linkages, digitalisation and SME-focused knowledge and networking platforms.
The programme is also expected to help Tanzanian businesses take advantage of opportunities created by the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) by strengthening their ability to participate in cross-border trade and regional supply networks.
Oluranti Doherty, Managing Director, Export Development at Afreximbank, said SMEs remain central to Africa’s industrialisation and trade ambitions but continue to face barriers to finance, markets and technical expertise.
“Through the Export SME Development Programme, Afreximbank is partnering with financial institutions such as Azania Bank to provide not only financing, but also the capacity building and market access solutions required for SMEs to grow, export and integrate into regional and global value chains,” she said.
Yahaya Mbanka, Director of Business Development at Azania Bank Plc, said the facility would expand the bank’s capacity to finance enterprises seeking to increase productive capacity and pursue export opportunities.
“This facility will strengthen our ability to provide Tanzanian SMEs with the financing they need to grow their businesses, invest in productive capacity and pursue export opportunities,” he said.
The partnership comes as African financial institutions face growing pressure to close the financing gap confronting smaller businesses, which play a significant role in employment, production and domestic trade but often struggle to access longer-term capital.
Afreximbank’s 2025 Annual Trade Development Effectiveness Report (ATDER) shows that the bank extended more than US$960 million to over 58,000 SMEs across Africa. The financing included support for women- and youth-led enterprises and was designed to help businesses expand, access trade finance and enter new markets.
The latest Tanzania facility therefore forms part of a wider push by Afreximbank to use local financial institutions to channel capital and technical support to smaller businesses, particularly those with the potential to participate in Africa’s expanding regional trade market.
